THE Westbury community faces the possibility of having no post office in the run-up to Christmas, after the branch on Kingfisher Drive closes in early October.
The main post office in Westbury will close on Tuesday 3rd October and with no news yet of when it will be replaced, residents of the town face the prospect of having to travel to nearby villages and towns like Trowbridge and Warminster to carry out important errands.
New premises for the post office have been sought since the news broke last year that the Co-operative Food supermarket, that is home to the main post office for Westbury, had sold its store to Lidl.
In March this year, Westbury Town Council set up a ‘task and finish’ group to explore the feasibility of running the post office, potentially in a premises in the High Street.
However, with only eight elected town councillors out of a possible 15 – after not enough candidates stood in year’s election – the council can no longer legally operate a post office itself.
“With not enough elected town councillors, the council is only in a position to help facilitate a new post office,” explained town clerk Deborah Urch. “The council has met with the Post Office who have said that a post office in Westbury is a viable option and there should be additional funding available to help make this happen.
“Currently there is one application being considered by the Post Office to take over the business in Westbury.
“However, because of the length of time it will take for a new post office to open, it is unlikely that there will be a post office in Westbury before Christmas.”
News of the imminent closure of the post office has sparked concern in the community. On the White Horse News Facebook page local, Maggie Eastment, said about the closure, “Mortified – the town needs it.”
Emma Wills added, “We need a local post office, it’s not easy for everyone to get to Warminster or Trowbridge.”
Cllr Ian Cunningham said “Let’s hope the business that has applied to run the branch and the Post Office can come to an agreement.”
